Lapping machine



April 13, 1937.

H. S. INDGE ET AL LAPP ING MACHINE Filed April 9, .1936

yHllllIllllIlllIllllllllllHlllll||||||| s sheets-sheet 1 v Figli HERBERT SKI/vaas GL-URGE E. HuL BER-r Fig April 13, 1937. H. S. INDGE ET Al. 2,077,364

LAPPING MACHINE Filed April 9, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ylla gmc/rm HERBERT S'. INDGE HEURE-:E E. HuLBEHT April 13, 1937. H. s. INDGE ET AL 2,077,364

LAPPING MACHINE Filed April 9, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 gmc/vwo@ HERBERTS. INDEE EEE/REE EHL/L BERT 1() pieces.

Pateme Apr. 13, v1937 PATENT OFFICE LAPPING MACHINE Herbert S. Indge and George E. Hulbert, Westboro,

Mass., assignors to Norton Company,

Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application Api-i1 9, 193s, serial No. 73,547

12 claims. (citi-11s) This invention relates to abrading machines, and more particularly to a lapping machine.

One object of this invention is' to provide a.

simple, thoroughly practical lapping machine for 5 simultaneously lapping a plurality of work pieces. Another object of this invention is to provide 'an improved lapping machine in which a new set of work pieces may be loaded ready for a lapping operation during the lapping ofV one set of work It is a further object of this invention to provide a work carrier having two sets of work holders, one set of which is in an operating psition for a lapping operation while the other set is in a loading position.

15 It is a further object of this invention to provide a lapping machine in which the iinished lapped pieces of work may be simultaneously and readily withdrawn from operative relation with the lapping wheels while a new set of work pieces is .20 being simultaneously moved into lapping position relative thereto. It is another object of this invention to provide a fluid pressure mechanism to simultaneously move the lapping wheels toward and from each other. Further objects will 25 be in part obvious or in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts, as will be exemplified in the structure to be hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown one of various possible embodiments of the mechanical features of this invention,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved lapping machine, having parts broken away and shown in section to more clearly show the operating construction;

Figure 2 is a. cross sectional view through the 2-2 of Figure 1, having parts broken away to more clearly show the c0nstruction;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view, partly in elevation, of a portion of the cage and lapping wheels, on an enlarged scale, as shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the work carrying cage, taken approximately on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, showing one pair of the work supporting members;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the main driving clutch;

Figure 6 is a sectional view. on an lenlarged scale, through one of the cage driving members;

lapping machine, taken approximately on the line Figure 'l is a fragmentary detail view, on an enlarged scale, of the supporting plate for the cage driving pin, as shown in Figure 6; and

Figure 8 is a. piping diagram of the fluid pressure system.

A lapping machine has been illustrated in the drawings having a base Il) which rotatably supports a pair of opposed relatively rotating wheels II and I2. The lapping wheels Il and I2 are supported on spindles I3 and I4,l respectively, The spindle I3 is journaled in bearings I5 and I6 in the base I0. The lapping wheel spindle I4 is journaled in similar bearings (not shown). The construction of the head supporting the lapping wheel I2 is identical with the construction shown insection (Fig. 1) for the lapping wheel II, consequently only one of the heads has been illustrated in detail. The spindle I3 is provided with a driving pulley I8 which is connected by a plurality of V-belts I9 with a pulley 20 mounted on the outer end of a rotatable driving shaft 2l which is rotatably supported in bearings (not shown) in the base Ill.

The shaft 2l may be driven from any suitable source of power but for the sake of illustration, an electric motor 25 has been provided and is mounted cna projecting bracket 26 on the base Ill of the machine. The electric motor 25 is con-l nected with a standard gear reduction unit,` as indicated by the casing 31 to rotate a shaft 38. The shaft 38 is connected by means of a suitable clutch 39 to rotate a shaft 40. The shaft 38 iS provided with a ilxed internal cone clutch member 4| which is arranged to be engaged by an external cone clutch member 42 which is slidably keyed by a key 43 with the shaft 40. When the clutch member 42 is moved toward the left (Fig.

^ 5) into engagement with the cone surface 4I, the

rotation of the shaft 38 is transmitted to rotate shaft 40. The shaft 40 is provided with a gear 45 which is connected by a link chain 46 with a gear or sprocket 41 mounted on the shaft 2|. The shaft 2l carries a gear 5U which meshes with a gear 5i mounted on a rotatable shaft 52 which is rotatably supported in bearings (not shown) in the base I0. The shaft 52 is provided with a grooved pulley 53 which is connected by belts 54 witha grooved pulley 55 mounted on the outer end of the spindle I4 to rotate the lapping wheel I2. The lapping wheel I2 rotates in the opposite direction relative to the rotation of the lapping wheel II due to the gears 50 and 5| which form a driving connection betweenthe shaft 2l and the shaft 52. l

In order to facilitate manual operation of the envase-i clutch 39 from the front of the machine, a manually operable clutch lever 68 is mounted on the outer end of a shaft 6| which is rotatably supported in bearings 62 and 63 in the base I 0. 'I'he shaft 6| supports a yoked member 64 which engages a groove 65 in the clutch member i2 and serves to engage or disengage the clutch so as to start or stop the transmission of power from the motor 25. lo The lapping wheel i I is moved toward or from an operating position by means of a hydraulically actuated mechanism. The outer end of the lapping wheel mount is provided with a roller thrust bearing 10 which is supported in the lower l5 end of an arm "ui which is mounted on a conical portion 12 of a slidably mounted rod 13. A iluid pressure piston li is connected by means of a rod 15 with the slide rod 13. The piston 14 is slidably mounted within a cylinder 16. When fluid under pressure is admitted through a pipe 11 into a cylinder chamber 18, the piston 14, the rod 13 and the arm 1I are moved toward the left (Fig. l) to move the lapping wheel i I toward the left. Similarly, when :duid under pressure is admitted through pipe 19 into cylinder chamber 80, the piston 14 is moved toward the right to cause a corresponding movement of the lapping wheel II to separate the lapping wheel II from the lapping wheel I2. The lapping wheel I2 is arranged for a similar fluid pressure movement, details of which havebeen illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 8. The outer end of the mount for the lapping wheel I2 is connected by an arm 80 which is supported on the end of a slide rod 85. A fluid pressure piston |00 is connected by means of a piston rod I 0I with the slide rod 85. The piston |00 is slidably mounted within a cylinder |02. When fluid under pres- -sure is admitted through a pipe 81 into a cylinder chamber |03, the piston I 00, the rod 85 and the arm 88 are moved toward the right (Figs. 1 and 8) to move the lapping wheel I2 toward the right. Similarly, when uid under pressure is admitted through pipe 88, into a cylinder chamber I 04, the piston |00 is moved toward the left (Figs. 1 and 8) to cause a corresponding movement of the lapping wheel I2 to separate the wheel I2 from the lapping wheel I.

It is desirable that the lapping wheels I and I2 be arranged so that they may be moved simultaneously toward and from the work piece to be lapped before and after the lapping operation. This is preferably accomplished by means of the fluid pressure system which comprises a reservoir |05 in the base oi the machine. Fluid is pumped from the reservoir by means of a pump |08 and conveys uid through a piston type reversing valve |01. The reversing valve |01 is operatively connected between the pump |06 and the pipes 11, 15, 81, 83, so as to simultaneously control the admission of uld to the cylinders 'lil and E02. When the reverse valve is in the position illustrated in Figure 8, uid under pressure is simultaneously admitted through pipes 'i1 and 81 into cylinder chambers 18 and |03 respectively to simultaneously move the lapping wheels |I and I2 toward each other into operative engagement with the work piece to be lapped. During this movement, fluid is simultaneously exhausted from the cylinder chambers 80 and ltd into the reservoir` |05. When the valve 101 is shifted into its reverse position, the iluid'under pressure fromthe pump |06 is passed simultaneously through pipes 1S and 58 into cylinder chambers t@ and i665, respectively, to cause a separating HiT/@merit between the lapping wheels II and I2 after the lapping operation has been completed.

A manual adjustment is provided for each of the lapping wheels II and I2 to adjust the lapping wheel into a proper position in setting up the machine for lapping a givenwork piece. A slidably mounted rod 90 is mounted in a portion @i of the' base l0 and extends through a hole in the arm 1|. adjustably spaced collars 92 and 93 are arranged on opposite sides of the arm 1I and are spaced therefrom to allow movement of the arm 1I without movement of the rod 90. By adjusting the position of the collars 92 and 93 on the rod 50, the extent of duid pressure movement of the lapping wheel II may be varied, as desired. By adjusting the-position of the rod 90 relative to the casing 9|, the position of the movement of the lapping wheel Il may be adjusted as desired. To facilitate adjustment of the rod 90, a rotatable screw 95 is supported in a bearing 96 in the frame 8| and the screw 85 is held against endwise movement by means of the bearing 96 and a manually operable hand wheel 91. The screw 95 is threaded into the end of the rod 90 so that when the hand wheel 91 is rotated in either direction, it transmits a corresponding rotary motion to the screw to move the rod endwise and thereby change the position of the arm 10 so as to vary the path of movement of the lapping wheel A similar construction is provided for controlling the movement of the lapping wheel I 2. A slidably mounted rod 88 is mounted in the housing 86 and is arranged to be adjusted longitudinally within the housing 88 by means of a manually operable hand wheel 98 which serves to permit adjustment of the path of movement of the lapping wheel I2.

In order to produce the desired lapping operation to simultaneously lap or abrade the opposite parallel faces of a plurality ofwork pieces to be lapped, a work carrying cage is provided which is arranged to support a plurality of work pieces for a simultaneous lapping action between the lapping wheels I I and I2. Tne cage member is preferably arranged so that it may be rotated as well as gyrated so as to carry the work pieces through an irregular path between the opposed lapping wheels. As illustrated in the drawings, a rotatable cage |I0 is provided with a peripheral gear III. The cage I|0 is preferably supported by a plurality of rotatable gears |I2, II3, I I4 and I I5 which mesh with the gear III and are supported to rotate with shafts II8, II1, II8 and IIS. Each of the shafts or studs II6, II1, I|8 and ||9 is mounted eccentric to its axis of rotation and is in turn supported on positively rotated shafts |20, |2I, |22 and |23 and is rotated synchronously so as to rotate and revolve the gears I I2, I I3, I |4 and I I5 so as to transmit a rotary movement through gear III to cage IIO while gyrating the cage in an irregular path. The mounting and drive for each of the shafts |20, I2I, |22 and |23 are identical, consequently only one of the drives has been illustrated in detail. The shaft 2| is provided with a relatively long pinion or sprocket 30 which is connected by a llink chain I3! with a gear or sprocket I 32 (Fig. 6) mounted on the shaft |20 which is rotatably supported in a pro- `iection |34 of the base I0. The stud IIS, which rotatably supports the gear I I 2, serves as a crankpin and is adjustably mounted on a rotatable plate |35 which is mounted on the end of the shaft |28. The plate |35 is provided with a T-slot 136 which serves to facilitate adjustment of the stud or crankpin EIS. The pin I6 may be adjusted to the required extent relative to the axis of rotation of the shaft |20 and may be clamped in adjusted position by means of a nut |31. In order to drive the crankpin IIS in synchronism with the pin |I6, a gear or sprocket |40 is mount 5 ed on the shaft |20 and is connected by a link chainv I 4| with a gear or sprocket |42 which is keyed to the shaft |23 so as'to rotate the shaft |23 and revolve the crankpin ||9 in synchronism with the crankpin I6.

l Similarly, the sprocket or pinion |30 is connected by 'a link chain |44 which is arrangedl in a similar manner to rotate the shaft |2|. The details of the mounting of the shaft |2. I and crankpin ||1 have'not been illustrated since this l5 construction is identical with the mounting of the shaft and the crankpin ||6. The shaft I2| is provided with a gear or sprocket (not shown) which is connected by a link chain |45 with a gear or sprocket |46 on the rotatable shaft |22 20 and serves to revolve the crankpin ||8 in synchro- A niszn with the crankpin I |1.

All of the crankpins IIB, I|1, ||8 and IIS are adjustably mounted on rotatable plates so that they are offset by the same amount from the axis of rotation of their supporting shafts |20, |2I, |22 and |23, respectively. The crankpins ||6, ||1, ||8 'and ||9 are all revolved in the same direction and their movements are synchronized due to the link chain drive above described. This driving mechanism serves to gyrate the cage as it is rotated by the gear I I.

In order to facilitate loading and removal of work pieces from the machine, two sets of adjustably mounted work holders are provided on the cage H0. These work holders are preferably arranged in pairs, that is so that alternate work holders are in an operative Yand inoperative position so that after a set of work pieces have been lapped to the desired extent, the lapped work 4U pieces may be readily and simultaneously removed to an inoperative position while at the same time a set of new pieces of work to be lapped are moved into an operating position between the lapping wheels II and I2.

The cage'll is provided with a plurality of slides which are supported in slideways |54 on the cage I|0 and are arranged to move in a substantially radial path. The slides |50 are shown in an operating position and carry a Work 5o piece, such as a piston rod |5I, Within a work carrier |52 which is xedly mounted on the slide |50. The work piece or piston rod I5I is held in the desired location on the slide |50 by means of a locating pin |53. The cage |I0 similarly supports 5.3 a' plurality of corresponding slides |60 which are mounted in slideways |64 on the cagevl I0. The slides are each provided with work holders |62 having locating pins |63 arranged to receive, support and locate a plurality of work pieces, such 00 as piston rods |6I, for a lapping operation.

During the lapping of the piston rods I5I, the cage IIO is rotated and gyrated to carry the piston rods I5I through an irregular path between the opposed operative faces of the lapping wheels 65 I| and |2. During this lapping operation, the

cage I I0 rotates slowly and as it rotates, the new pieces of work, such as piston rods I6I, may be positioned on the idle set of slides |60 as the cage ||0 rotates so that when the piston rods |5| have been lapped to the desired extent, they may be readily removed from operative relation with the wheels and the new set of piston rods I6| may be simultaneously inserted in operative relation therewith.

In order to facilitate movement of the two lets of slides |50 and |60 to and from an operating position, the side faces of the slides are provided with rack teeth |10 and I1I which mesh with opposite sides of a pinion |13. AThe pinion |13 is xedly mounted on a rotatable shaft |14. When it is desired to move the work carrying slide |50 to an inoperative position after a lapping operation, it is merely necessary to rotate the shaft |14 in a clockwise direction, as indicated in Figure 3, which serves to move the slide |50 downwardly to an inoperative position and serves to simultaneously move the slide |60 up wardly into an operative position between the lapping wheels II and I2.

Each of the pairs of slides |50 and |60 is constructed in the same manner as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and as above described. Details of construction of each individual slide operating mechanism have not been illustrated, since this is not believed to be necessary. Each of the pairs of slides may be operated individually, if desired. In order, however, to facilitate rapid production, it is desirable to provide means for simultaneously rotating all of the shafts |14 so that the gears |18 will be synchronously rotated to simultaneously withdraw all of the set of slides |50 to an moving the set of slides ||0 and work pieces |6| into an operating position between the lapping wheels II and I2. This is preferably accomplished by providing a gear (Figs. 1 and 4) lxedly mounted on the end of each of the shafts |14, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 1. The gears |80 all mesh with an internal ring gear I8I which rotatably ts within an internal cylindrical aperture |82 in the cage member I0. By rotating the internal ring gear IBI, all of the gears |80 may be simultaneously and synchronously rotated tovmove the set of work slides |50 to an inoperative position after a predetermined lapping operation while simultaneously moving a set of slides |60 and a new set of work pieces |6| into operative position. -The periphery of a flange |83 is provided with a plurality of holes |84 into which a pin or rod may be inserted to facilitate turning of the ring gear |8| relative to the cage ||0.

It is desirable, after a loading operation has been completed, to lock the ring gear I8| relative to the cage IIIl. This is preferably accomplished by means of one or more clamping screws |85 (Fig. 4) which pass through elongated slot or slots |86 in the flange |83 of the internal gear I8I and are screw threaded into a portion of the cage ||0. After the slides have been adjusted into the desired operating position, the bolt or bolts |85 may be tightened to lock the internal ring gear I8| yrelative to the cage IIO and the lapping operation on the new pieces of work may then proceed.

The operation of this mechanism will be readily apparent from the foregoing disclosure. A series of work pieces 5I are loaded into operating position on the slides |50 'and are moved into operative position between the lapping wheels and |2. The lapping wheels and I2 are then adjusted'manually by means of the hand Wheels 91 and 88, and the reverse valve |01 is positioned to admit fluid' under pressure simultaneously through pipes 11 and 81 to move the lapping wheels towards each other to engage the opposite side faces of the work piece to be lapped. The pressure admitted through the pipes 11 and 81 is regulated by means of a well-known pressure regulating valve (not shown). The lapping operainoperative position while simultaneously l Cai @F.- aorasea tion may then be started by moving the clutch operating lever 60 to engage the clutch 39 and start the simultaneous rotation of the lapping wheels Il and I2 in the opposite direction and at the same time start a rotary and gyrating movement to the cage IIO. The lapping operation proceeds until the work pieces ISI have been lapped to the desired extent. The valve |01 controlling the admission of uid is then shifted to admit iluid under pressure through pipes 'i9 and 88 to separate the lapping wheels I I and I2. The clutch operating lever 60 is then shifted to disengage the clutch and to facilitate removal of the lapped pieces of work. The bolt or bolts |85 are then unclamped and by means of a pin inserted in one of the holes |84, the ring gear I8I may be rotated relative to the cage IIO to simultaneously move all of the slides |50 to an inoperative position While simultaneously moving all of the set of slides |60 into an operative position, presenting a new set of work pieces IGI into operative relation with the lapping wheels II and I2. The ring gear I8I may then be locked in adjusted position by tightening the clamping ybolts |85 and the lapping operation on the new set of work pieces may then proceed.

' It will thus be seen that there has been provided by this invention apparatus in which the various objects hereinabove set forth together with many thoroughly practical advantages are successfully achieved. As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention and as many changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

1. A lapping machine comprising a pair of opposed relatively rotatable lapping wheels, means to relatively rotate said lapping wheels, a work carrying cage arranged to simultaneously support a plurality of work pieces in operative relation with said lapping wheels, means to rotate and gyrate said cage to carry the work pieces through an irregular path between said wheels, and means to simultaneously move said wheels towards or from each other.

2. A lapping machine comprising a pair of opposed relatively rotatable lapping wheels, means to relatively rotate said lapping wheels, a work carrying cage arranged to simultaneously support a plurality of work pieces in operative relation with said lapping wheels, means to rotate and gyrate said cage to carry the work pieces through an irregular path therebetween, and means including a fluid pressure system arranged to move said laps simultaneously into operative engagement with said work pieces for a lapping operation.

3. A lapping machine comprising a pair of opposed relatively rotatable lapping wheels, means to relatively rotate said lapping wheels in opposite directions, a work carrying cage arranged to simultaneously support a plurality of Work pieces in operative relation with said lapping wheels, means to rotate and gyrate said cage to carry the work pieces through an irregular path between said wheels, and means including a piston and cylinder operatively connected to simultaneously move each of said wheels into 'operative relation with the work pieces for a lapping operation.

4. A lapping machine comprising a pair of opposed relatively rotatable lapping wheels,

means to relatively rotate said lapping wheels, a

work carrying cage arranged to simultaneously support a plurality of Work pieces in operative relation with said lapping wheels, means to rotate and gyrate said cage relative to said lapping wheels to carry the work pieces through an ir-A regular path therebetween, means vincluding a uid pressure operated piston and cylinder associated with each of said wheels, and means to simultaneously admit fluid under pressure to each of said cylinders to cause the lapping wheels to simultaneously move into or away from operative position with relation to the Work pieces to be lapped. l

5. A lapping machine comprising a pair of opposed relatively rotatable lapping wheels, means to relatively rotate said lapping wheels in opposite directions, means to simultaneously move said Wheels toward and from each other, a work carrying cage arranged to simultaneously support a plurality of sets of alternate Work pieces, one of said sets of alternate work pieces being simultaneously in an operative position with relation to said Wheels while the other set of alternate work pieces is in an inoperative or loading position, and means to simultaneously move one set of the work pieces from a lapping position after a predetermined lapping operation and to simultaneously present another set of work pieces for a lapping operation.4

6. A lapping machine comprising a pair of opposed relatively rotatable lapping wheels, means to relatively rotate said wheels in opposite directions, means to simultaneously move said wheels toward and from each other, a work carrying cage, means to move said cage through an irregular path between said Wheels, means including a plurality of movable work carrying slides on said cage, and means to simultaneously move said slides relative to the cage member to move work pieces to and from an operating position.

7. A lapping machine comprising a pair of opposed relatively rotatable lapping wheels, means to relatively rotate said wheels in opposite directions, means to simultaneously move said wheels toward and from each other, a work carrying cage, means to move said cage through an irregu-V lar path between said wheels, a plurality of pairs of work supporting slides slidably mounted on said cage, alternate slides being arranged to support work pieces in operative relation with said wheels for a lapping operation While the other lslides are in an inoperative or loading position,

and means to simultaneously shift the two sets of slides to move the first named slides to an inoperative position after a predetermined lapping operation while moving the second named slides into an operating position to present a new set of work pieces for a lapping operation.

8. A lapping machine comprising a pair of opposed relatively rotatable lapping wheels, means to relatively rotate said wheels in opposite directions, a workb carrying cage arranged to simultaneously support a pluralityof work pieces in operative relation with said lapping wheels,

means to rotate and gyrate said cage to carry the work pieces through an irregular path therebetween, means including a fluid pressure operated piston and cylinder associated with each of said wheels to move the wheels simultaneously toward and from each other, and manually operable means for independently adjusting the path of movement of each of said wheels.

9. A work carrying cage for a lapping machine comprising a rotatable cage member, a plurality of pairs of work supporting slides on said cage, alternate slides being arranged to support work pieces in operative relation with said wheels for a lapping operation while the other slides are in an inoperative or loading position, and means to simultaneously shift said slides from an operative position to an inoperative position after a set of work pieces have been lapped to. the predetermined extent.

10. A work carrying cage for a lapping machine comprising a rotatable cage member, a plurality of pairs of work supporting slides on said cage which are arranged to move in a substantially radial direction, alternate slides being arranged to support work pieces in operative relation with said wheels for a lapping operation while the other slides are in an inoperative or loading position, and means to simultaneously shift all of said slides to move the first named slides to an inoperative position after a predetermined lapping operation while moving the second named slides into an operating position to present a new set of work pieces for a lapping operation.

11. A work carrying cage for a lapping machine 25 comprising a disk shaped cage member, a gear formed on the periphery of said cage member, a

plurality of rotatable gears which mesh with said gear on the cage, means to simultaneously rotate and revolve said gears to carry said cage member through an irregular path, and means to support a plurality of work pieces in position for a lapping operation, and readily accessible means to remove said work pieces to an inoperative position after a lapping operation has been completed.

12. A work carrying cage for a lapping machine comprising a disk shaped cage member; a gear formedon the periphery of said cage member, a

plurality of rotatable gears meshing with said gear on said cage, means to simultaneously rotate and revolve said gears to carry said cage member through an irregular path, a plurality of work carrying slides which are movable radially on said cage member to support a plurality of work pieces in position for a lapping operation, and means to simultaneously move said slides rela-` tive to said cage member to move said Work pieces to an inoperative position after a predetermined lapping operation has been completed.

HERBERT S. INDGE. f GEORGE E. HULBERT. 

